5 - All the Red Lines

Summary

The Syrian war’s most fundamental characteristic is the systematic disregard for the most basic rules of international law – and notably international humanitarian law – displayed by its belligerents. The result has been unparalleled human suffering, the scale, complexity, and severity of which are yet to be fully understood. This chapter looks briefly at the unrest that preceded the Syrian conflict before focusing on those violations of international humanitarian law which quickly became hallmarks of the Syrian war. It gives particular focus to two violations of international humanitarian law: the conducting of indiscriminate attacks, including attacks by governments and armed groups; and the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield and the investigations to determine the perpetrator(s). Finally, it asks whether the Syrian conflict represents a nadir in the international community’s response to a war where international humanitarian law is breached with impunity and, if so, whether the value of the law of wars has been eroded.